


Moving On

by AconiteWolfsbane



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Not all that shippy, Pearl gets intimate with a motorcycle tho... lol, mostly chatting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-07-27 12:30:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16219076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AconiteWolfsbane/pseuds/AconiteWolfsbane
Summary: Pearl and Stella chat about the past, present and maybe future...





	Moving On

**Author's Note:**

> I know, I know... The unofficial working name for Mystery Girl is Sheena.   
> I decided to go with Stella instead.   
> Mostly for the fact that it means Star, which would go well with a show about aliens and a hybrid that has a star on his shirt...   
> I will continue to use Stella as her name until Canon (in-show/on-screen) states otherwise. Then, I'll likely came back and edit this to her canon name.
> 
> Anyway, I've tried to keep everyone in character here. Difficult to do when someone has only appeared twice, once only as a background character, and hasn't spoken a damned word...  
> Crewniverse! Bring Mystery Girl back so we can write her better, dammit!

Greg looked up at the clunk of a kickstand and froze in shock as the rider took off her helmet and shook her short pink hair out.

“ **Hey, someone told me that I could get my bike fixed here?** ” she called, combing a hand through her hair.

Greg stared blankly, blush deepening on his face. ‘ _Holy smokes..._ ’

“ **Uh, hello?** ” she glanced over at him. “ **You okay, dude?** ”

“ **Okay Greg, here** **i** **s th** **is** **week's** **shopping list.** ” Pearl walked up to him and held out a sheet of paper. Glancing over, she noticed the woman. “ **Oh! It’s you! Uh... You didn’t actually tell me your name... and it wasn’t written with your number...** ” she blushed.

The woman chuckled. “ **Whoops. Sorry ‘bout that.** **The name’s Stella.** ”

Pearl nodded. “ **Stella. I believe that means star. I like that.** ”

Greg glanced between them. ‘ _Oh, this must be..._ ’ “ **Uh... I should... go get those groceries. Be back soon.** ” he called, grabbing the sheet of paper and dashing over to his van.

Pearl watched the van peel away and swiftly disappeared behind the corner, her eyes filled with confusion. “ **I... will never understand men.** ” she shook her head.

Stella laughed. “Y **eah, they’re weird alright. He didn’t answer my question though...** ”

Pearl glanced over. “ **Maybe I can help. What was the question?** ”

“ **I was told I could** **get** **my bike fixed at the car wash.** ” she poked a thumb back at the machine. “ **It’s been making this weird noise for a couple of days, and I doubt it’ll last until the next big city...** ”

Pearl grinned as she eyed the motorbike greedily. “ **I can fix that. Honestly, I** **ha** **ve wanted to pull that** **thing** **apart since I first saw it.** ”

Stella raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. “ **Eh, go for it.** **You** **mind if I smoke**?”

Pearl tilted her head. “ **Those are really bad for humans... but as long as you put it away if anyone else shows up, especially Steven, then sure. I don’t mind. But first, I will need to hear this weird noise you mentioned.** ”

Stella nodded and started the ignition, revving the engine a few times. 

Pearl nodded as she listened, and then indicated for Stella to cut off. “ **Ye** **s** **, I have a r** **easonable** **idea** **about** **what the problem is** **now** **.** ” she waved Stella away towards the nearby wall.

Stepping over to the bike, Pearl pulled a rolled-up tarp from her gem and spread it out next to the bike. Then she took out a large roll of kitchen paper and a toolbox and set them on the ground, removing a large wrench with a grin.

Stella watched in amazement as Pearl calmly sat down and systematically started to pulled the bike apart. Lighting her cigarette, she took a quick drag. “ **So.** **.. you weren’t kidding about that alien stuff, huh?** ”

Pearl glanced up at her. “ **Why would I do that?** ” she genuinely looked confused.

Stella sat down, leaning against the wall as she shook some ash from the end her of cigarette. “ **Eh, people sometimes make** ** _really_** **out there claims when they flirt. Like, one guy told me that he’d invented some** **super** **successful phone app, and was worth millions. I already knew he worked at a gas station and lived on burritos,** **cause** **I'd stopped there a couple of weeks before. He reeked of beans...** ” she chuckled. “ **Anyway, people lie to make themselves look cooler, or richer, or just... better,** **cause** **they think it’s the only way anyone would like them, I guess.** ”

Pearl shook her head in wonder and returned to loosening the bolts connecting the engine to the frame. “ **Huh. I suppose Gems do the same thing sometimes too. I met an** **Aventurine** **once who kept telling others that she was her Diamonds favourite, and was always meeting with her personally and being asked for advice. I knew for a fact that she spent most of her existence behind a desk, working as a bureaucrat, filling out forms in triplicate for rather unimportant things.** ” she waved a hand with a smirk. “ **But, I personally find reality to be confusing enough, so why add fiction? I am** ** _actually_** **from another galaxy, and I really** ** _did_** **help** **save the Earth, and your species.** ”

Stella took a long drag. “ **So.** **Is it custom on your planet not to call someone when you get their number?** ”

Pearl sighed. “ **I... had good reason not to.** ” she placed the wrench on the tarp before she stood and walked over, sitting down beside Stella.

“ **Which** **was?** ”

Pearl looked at her. “ **Question. How old do you think I am? Just from looking at me?** ”

Stella looked her up and down. “ **Hmm... I’d say... maybe 29, at the most. Why?** ”

Pearl started laughing. 

“ **Hey... What’s so funny? What, was I that far off?** ”

Pearl giggled and sighed. “ ** _Oh_** **_yeah_** **. By quite a lot, actually.** ” she calmed down and looked Stella directly in the eyes. “ **I am literally** ** _thousands_** **of years old. I remember when your species were hunter-gatherers. I** **ha** **ve seen mammoths, roaming in large herds. I** **ha** **ve painted on the walls, deep inside caves, with your ancestors. I spent a thousand years of my life fighting a war for this planets’ –and my own- freedom. I** **ha** **ve philosophised with Aristotle, painted with Leonardo DaVinci, had chats with Queen Elizabeth. The first one.** ” she added as Stella’s jaw dropped lower and lower, the cigarette falling to the cement between her legs. “ **But I** **ha** **ve also chatted with the second one. A very nice lady.** ” she nodded and smiled.   
“ **I saw the pyramids being built, as well as Stonehenge, and Rome itself. The rise and fall of the Roman Empire lasted only a short time to me. I was here was the first ship came from Europe. It was only a mere two centuries ago when this area was colonised by William Dewey, who by the way, was just as sweaty and awkward as his descendants.** ”

Pearl sighed and gently rubbed the surface of her gem. “ **The reason I didn’t call is because... quite frankly, I am a functionally immortal alien being who is quite possibly already the oldest thing on this planet. I** **a** **m more than ten thousand years old, and barring any accidents, I can easily survive up to one hundred thousand years, or more.** ” she looked back at Stella. “ **You... are human. Mortal. I know from experience that humans... don’t live long.** ”  she sighed deeply. “ **I honestly have no idea how old you are currently; I'm utterly** ** _terrible_** **at figuring out how old humans are from their appearance alone... But you have maybe another... eight decades, at the most.** ” Reaching over, she collected the still-smouldering cigarette from the ground and stubbed it out. With a flick of her wrist, she threw it expertly over towards a trash can several metres away, and Stella watched as it fell in. “ **Even** ** _less_** **if you keep smoking those things.** ” Pearl added with a sniff.

She looked back at Stella sadly. “ **If I had called you... if we had started some sort of relationship... if I had developed feelings for you... I would be forced to watch someone I cared about grow old and fade away, knowing that there was nothing I could do to prevent the inevitable. One hundred years likely seems to be a long time to you, but it is a** ** _terribly_** **short time for me. I** **ha** **ve held grudges for far longer than that.** ”

Stella sighed. “ **Wow... that’s intense. I... I** **honestly** **don’t know what to say about that...** ”

Pearl shrugged. “ **I suppose learning about the existence of immortal beings can be a little overwhelming for most people...** ” she sighed. “ **Besides...** **apart from the obvious age** **difference,** **up until recently** **-** **well, recently for me, anyway... I was in a relationship that lasted more than five thousand years.** ” 

“ ** _Five_** **_thousand_** **_years_** **?! Whoa... I have trouble keeping a relationship going for five** ** _months_** **...** ” Stella shook her head in shock.

Pearl reached up and summoned her phone, pulling up a picture of Steven, smiling happily at the camera. She showed it to Stella with a sad smile.

“ **My wife basically turned into my... for lack of a better word, son, a mere fourteen years ago, and I** **a** **m still figuring out how to cope with that. Especially as I only had nine months warning that I was going to lose her...** ” she put the phone away and glanced over at Stella. “ **You... look a lot like her. I doubt it** **woul** **d be healthy for what** **ever i** **s left of my mental well-being to get involved with someone who looks so much like my ex...** ”

Stella watched in awe as a bright light shone from Pearl’s forehead, and a large woman with curly hair appeared in shades of blue.

Pearl sighed. “ **The** **colours** **are all wrong, of course, but she had pink hair too. And that smile...** ”

Stella watched as the hologram flickered and disappeared. “ **Uh... yeah... that wouldn’t be healthy.** ”

After a moment, Pearl stood up and walked back over to the bike, settling down and grabbing her wrench again. “ **So yes. I didn’t call you because quite frankly, no matter how you look at it... I was doomed to have my metaphorical** **heart broken** **again. I** **a** **m not sure that I could handle going through that again... Right now, it’s best if I just... stay alone, learn how to cope with that first before I risk going through that pain again.** ”

Stella nodded. “ **Yeah, that’s fair. You have to be good to yourself first. Hell, if I had known you were recovering from such a long relationship and losing your wife... I wouldn’t have given you my number.** ”

The pair fell silent for a while, the only sounds the clank and scrape of metal on metal as Pearl diligently dismantled the bike.

“ **Hey... is it really** **necessary** **to pull the whole thing apart like that?** ”

Pearl looked up with a blush. “ **Well, uh... no. Not really. But I** **ha** **ve never pulled a motorcycle apart before, and I'm not one to miss an opportunity like this, so...** ” At Stella's stunned expression, Pearl’s blush deepened, and she grabbed a piece of kitchen paper. “ **I assure you, I’m memorising where everything goes. I can restore it to its former glory quite easily.** ”

Stella raised an eyebrow sceptically. “ **Are you sure? Cause I love this bike, Pearl. It's my sweet baby.** ”

Pearl rolled her eyes as she put another part aside and reached for a spanner. “ **That van that Greg drove off in? It was once damaged quite badly. Well, okay, more than once, but I digress. On one particular occasion, the axles were bent, the sides were crumple** **d** **, and the engine fell out as I was preparing to fix it. A few hours later, it, in his own words, had ‘** ** _never looked so good_** **’.** ” she gave a smug smirk. “ **There are very few human machines that I cannot repair or improve, given the chance.** ”

Stella nodded. “ **Well, alright then. I guess I'll have to trust you with my baby.** ”

“ **Human’s get so sentimental about the silliest things...** ” Pearl sighed, shaking her head.

Stella continued watching Pearl “ **So.** **.. What’s the deal with that Greg guy anyway? Like, how do you know him?** ”

“ **Oh, he’s Steven father. We were both in love with Rose. She... picked him...** ” she added sadly. “ **But, I’ve accepted that now. We’ve even become friends, albeit only during this past year. And I’ll admit, he has turned out to be an excellent father, and we literally would** **_n_** ** _o_** ** _t_** **have Steven without him, so...** ” she shrugged.

Stella nodded thoughtfully. “ **Yeah, that’s a bonus. You work for him or** **something** **?** ”

Pearl gave a snort as she burst into laughter. “ **Oh, stars no! I just help him earn a bit of extra money for Steven when I can.** ” she paused to gently tap a piece with a small rubber mallet to unstick it from the built-up oil. “ **A few years ago, when Steven was quite young, someone came here asking if Greg could repair their car. He** **needed** **t** **he extra money, so he t** **old them to leave it with him for a little while, and he had a look at the engine.** **Greg** **was quite overwhelmed,** **with no idea what he was doing, a** **nd quickly decided to come get me from the temple. It was a very simple problem, which was easily repaired. The driver returned and paid Greg for the repair, but he drove away before Greg could explain that** ** _I_** **had fixed it. Quite frankly, the fifty-dollar note was more than Greg usually made in a week, and it was going to be spent on Steven anyway, so I told him go buy Steven something nice.** ” 

Pearl shrugged. “ **We made an arrangement: people leave things here, I fix them, and Greg gets paid for it. It’s one of** **those** **‘everyone wins’ situations. People like you get their precious property repaired swiftly; Greg gets money to look after Steven; and I get to pull machinery and electronics apart, see how they work and put them back together again. Which, I fully admit, I quite enjoy.** ” she reached into the part of the engine in her hand and pulled out a large piece of oily gravel. “ **Ah-ha! There’s your problem. Of course, it raises the question of how this got into the engine in the first place, but the noise should be resolved.** ”

Stella grinned and cheered. “ **Alright Pearl! That’s awesome!** ” she watched as Pearl took a small plastic container out of her gem and opened it with a foot, gently dropping the gravel in with oily fingers before closing it and storing it again.

“ **Okay, now to put it back together again. I** **ha** **ve already cleaned away most of the old grease build-up as I went, so I'll just take care of the oil on this part first and then I can rebuild.** ” Turning her head to the left, Pearl summoned a large can of engine oil and a tub of grease beside her. “ **Almost forgot those. I can regrease as I go.** ”

Stella watched as Pearl smeared a little grease onto a part and slid it into place. “ **How much stuff you got in there anyway?** ”

Pearl looked around the engine at her. “ **Err... What do you... Oh! You mean my gem? I believe... a few thousand different items, but in many cases, I have multiples. So possibly around... a million individual items. Maybe...** ” She glanced up at her own forehead briefly. “ **Too be honest, it** **ha** **s been a few thousand years since I did inventory of my possessions. I** **ha** **ve picked up a** ** _lot_** **of human items since then... I should probably take some time away to catalogue everything. At least be certain of the weaponry I have available for when** **Homeworld** **returns...** ” she muttered.

Stella whistled. “ **That’s a lot to have on your mind, Pearl. Or... is it your mind? I... don’t know how you even work...** ” she blushed.

Pearl shrugged. “ **To be perfectly honest with you, Stella... I have been on this planet for several thousand years, and I** ** _still_** **don’t understand how your species functions at all. You are quite strange and confusing beings.** **To answer your question** **... my gem is, in human terms, my mind, body** ** _and_** **soul, all at once. Like your mind, it’s where I think; like your body, if this is broken** **beyond repair** **, I will cease to exist; and like your soul, the energy that makes me who I am will continue to exist in some form, even if I am left as nothing more than shards.** ”

She pointed one slender finger towards her gem. “ **This** **is everything I am. My body is merely a construct, a vessel, that grants me mobility and allows me to interact with the world around me and defend myself if** **necessary** **. If it is damaged, say... my arm is cut off, or I am** **impaled** **by something... the** **construct** **will break, and I will return to simply being a gem. After some time, I will regenerate, creating a new construct and most likely going after the thing that damaged me.** ” she gave a toothy grin as she returned to the bike.

Stella raised her eyebrows in shock. “ **So.** **.. you really are immortal?** ”

Pearl nodded. “ **Functionally... yes. That is, I can die, but only by great effort. Someone would have to be quite determined to destroy me. To begin with, they would need to destroy my current form. Then, they would need to fight off my friends, who will likely come running to protect me. If my attacker manages to survive that encounter, they then would have to strike my gem with a great deal of force to crack and shatter me, and then grind my shards into a powder. Or, well, drop me into an acidic solution. Or a fire. Pearls... don’t do too well with acids or fire...** ” she shuddered. “ **Quite horrible ways to die.** ” she paused and breathed deeply for a moment, distress visible. 

“ **Let’s... talk about more pleasant matters, shall we? Uh... Why did you select that hair colour?** ”

Stella reached up and ran her fingers through her hair. “ **Oh, I’ve always liked making my hair all crazy colours. It's been blue, green, purple, and now pink. It tried** **doing** **it like a rainbow once, for pride month, but that didn’t turn out like I planned... Plus, that much dye is pretty expensive.** ”

Pearl smiled. “Y **ou should really meet my friend Bismuth someday. She has rainbow hair. Of course, it’s not dyed,** **that is** **just how Bismuths have their hair. But it is quite stunning all the same.** ”

Stella sighed. “ **I’ll bet it is. I've** **been** **thinking of changing to another colour, I just haven’t made my mind up yet. I'm torn between a dark red, or a bright orange... or maybe bright yellow...** ”

Pearl nodded. “ **I can imagine that. Red or orange would look good on you. Yellow... uh... maybe not so much.** ” she blushed.

Stella gave a laugh. “ **Yeah, fair enough.** ”

“ **Ya** **know Pearl, it’s a shame you’re not into it right now. Cause you’re pretty damned cute.** ” Stella grinned cheekily.

Pearl blushed. “ **Uhhh** **... You** **a** **re quite attractive as well.** ” she used the bike to hide her face from view. “ **But a new relationship is** **n** **o** **t what I need right now...** ”

Stella nodded. “ **Yeah, that’s totally fair.** ”

“ **Of course.** ” Pearl started slowly, deep in thought. “ **I do know someone who might be interested, provided that you don’t mind men, that is...** ”

Stella shrugged. “ **Eh. I’m pretty** **damned** **bi, so sure. He cute?** ”

Pearl looked confused. “ **I... don’t know what that means... and I’m really the last Gem you should be asking when it comes to** **rating** **the attractiveness of any male... But I could give you his phone number.** ”

Reaching into her jacket pocket, Stella took out her mobile. “ **Sure. Fire away.** ” Typing in the number Pearl recited, Stella saved it as a new contact. “ **Alright, I’ll give him a call.** ” she put her phone away and looked at Pearl curiously. “ **You really don’t know what bi means?** ”

As she reattached the fuel tank to the frame, Pearl shrugged. “ **I don’t understand a lot of human things. I try to, but quite frankly, humans change their collective minds about almost everything after a few centuries, and I honestly gave up trying to keep up with it all a long time ago. One century, this thing is perfectly acceptable, the next, it’s taboo. There's** ** _this_** **many genders, no there’s** ** _that_** **many. This is a male fashion, no wait, it’s only for women now...** ” she groaned. “ **I** **find it all** ** _very_** **confusing.** ”

Stella nodded. “ **Yeah, I guess it would be. Uh, bi is short for bisexual. I like men and women.** ”

“ **Oh. Rose was** **maybe like that too. Or at least, she wasn’t too fussy about it at all. Male, female, gem, human... she was up for anything.** ” Pearl rolled her eyes.

“ **Your wife sounded like she was** ** _wild_** **.** **And probably pan.** ” Stella smirked.

“ **You have no idea...** ” Pearl shook her head. “ **She was kinkier than her hair.** ” she added with a smirk. “ **You** **would not** ** _believe_** **the kind of things we did...** ”

Stella laughed as Pearl gave a quick wink. “ **Hot damn!** ”

As Stella’s laughter faded, Pearl gave a final jerk of the wrench and sighed. “ **There we go.** ” She grabbed a couple of pieces of kitchen paper and started wiping the oil and grease from her hands and arms.

Stella stood up. “ **Whoa. You’re done already?!** ”

Pearl nodded. “ **Yes. You can give it a quick test run, if** **you** **woul** **d like.** ”

Stella nodded and collected her helmet, starting the bike with a kick. “ **Oh god, it’s** **purring** **like a kitten, it’s never sounded this good before.** ” she smiled. “ **I’ll be back in a moment. I'm just** **gonna** **go for a quick lap around town.** ”

Pearl nodded and watched as Stella peeled away. As she waited, she collected the used pieces of paper and placed them into a nearby recycling bin before carefully cleaning her tools and putting them away. She was just folding the tarp up when Stella returned, revving the bike a few times with glee. Finally, she shut it off and swung her leg back over.

“ **Holy crap, Pearl, that’s amazing! It's running like** **it’s** **brand new!** ” Stella grabbed her into a hug. “ **Thank you so much!** ”

Pearl blushed and glanced over as Greg’s van pulled into the parking lot. “ **You’re welcome, Stella. I quite enjoyed the opportunity to learn about motorcycles. If you need another repair, just come back. I** **wi** **ll be able to repair it much faster next time, now that I know where everything goes.** ” she finished folding the tarp and stored it away. “ **Greg’s here, he can accept the payment.** **I need to take Steven’s groceries home now. It was good talking to you.** ”

“ **Yo** **, Pearl said I** **gotta** **pay you for the fix? How much I owe** **ya** **?** ” Stella pulled out a small black wallet.

“ **Uh...** ” Greg stared nervously. “ **Let’s call it... twenty bucks?** ”

Stella pulled out a bill and handed it over. “ **Sweet. Thanks Pearl.** ” She waved as she headed back to the bike.

“ **It was good to s** **e** **e you again, Stella.** ” Pearl waved back.

The two watched as Stella pulled away on the bike, the faint roars echoing for a short while.

“ **Hey, Pearl? I’m sorry.** ”

Pearl glanced over. “ **Uh, what for?** ”

Greg scratched the back of his head nervously. “ **Ummm** **... I** **dunno** **. I was thinking your girl there was pretty hot for a moment. I didn’t know I was doing it again... sorry.** ”

Pearl started storing the grocery bags in her gem, and gave a small shrug. “ **To be honest with you, Greg... I have decided not to pursue a relationship with her. I am thousands of years old, she will be dead in maybe eighty years... I would just be setting myself up for more heartbreak. I need to learn how to be by myself first, before I risk another relationship... And such a temporary one at that. We just spoke calmly about that, and she agreed that it would** ** _not_** **be healthy for me to be with her...** ” Pearl finished with a nod.

Greg glanced over at her. “ **Oh. That’s okay. All you alright though?** ”

Pearl nodded. “ **Yes. Well, as much as I usually am anyway...** ” she summoned a scrap of paper and a pencil from her gem, pausing for a moment to scribble something. “ **Here.** ” she said, holding it out to Greg. “ **I think** **you** **can make better use of this than me.** ”

Greg looked at it to find a phone number and the letter S., with tella written after it in Pearl’s fine cursive. “ **Uh...** ”

“ **Let’s face it, Greg. We share a type.** ” she smirked at his deep blush. “ **Besides, you deserve a chance to be happy and move on too. I have** **thousands** **of years to find someone. You have only a few decades left. And Rose would not have wanted you to be alone for the rest your life.** ” she patted Greg’s arm fondly before she turned to walk away. “ **Anyway, I already gave her your number.** ” she added over her shoulder. “ **So** **you’ll at least** **know who’s** **calling you.** ”


End file.
